NEW DELHI: A two-day meeting of the Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC) will be held from October 14 to scrutinise the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024.
During the meeting, the committee will hear the suggestions of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Delhi. It will also hear the views of lawyers Vishnu Shankar Jain, Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay and Virendra Ichalkaranjikar on the Bill.
On October 15, representatives of the Ministry of Minority Affairs will record their oral evidence before the committee on the matter. The meeting follows Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that the Centre will pass the Waqf Bill in the upcoming Parliament session.
Recently, a controversy broke out after the JPC received 1.25 crore submissions from various stakeholders. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had sought a probe into the possible role of Pakistan’s ISI and China behind the massive response. He also alleged that the influence of a radical Islamist preacher, Zakir Naik, cannot be ruled out. However, the Opposition parties called it a “mockery of democracy” and said that the BJP was unnerved over the massive feedback.
The Jagadambika Pal-led committee has been tasked by the Lok Sabha to scrutinise the Bill, which has drawn protests from the Opposition parties and Muslim organisations.
From giving the Centre the power to frame rules to providing representation for women to the inclusion of two non-Muslim members in Waqf boards and a separate Board of Auqaf for Boharas and Aghakhanis, the government has proposed 44 amendments to the Waqf Act 1995.
The JPC had recently held informal discussions with various stakeholders across five states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu to refine the proposed changes to the Waqf Act. These consultations were aimed at refining the proposed amendments to the Act, which governs the management of over 6,00,000 registered Waqf properties across the country.
However, the meetings in most cities, including Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, witnessed heated debates. The Waqf Bill was introduced during the budget session of Parliament amid staunch opposition from the INDIA bloc parties. The government has stated that the amendments are necessary to streamline the functioning of Waqf properties and ensure better governance.
